Vrijbroekpark, Provincial park in Mechelen, Belgium

Vrijbroekpark is a large green space on the outskirts of Mechelen with diverse garden sections, walking paths, and open areas for people to spend time. The grounds feature different botanical zones, play areas, and plenty of space for walking, sitting, or just moving around.

The marshy lowland was shaped by the Zenne during the Weichselian glaciation and served as pasture and hay meadow where farmers paid a small fee to graze cattle. The province of Antwerp bought part of the area at the end of the 1920s. A two-storey hotel project begun in 1972 near the E-10 (now E-19) was abandoned, and its ruin was purchased in 2021 and opened in 2025.

The name Vrijbroek refers to the old word broek, marshland where farmers could graze cattle for a small fee. Today the rosarium holds over 100 rose species and received the Award of Garden Excellence in 2003; a salicetum collects willow species and the ecotope garden occupies a former city landfill.

The park is freely accessible every day and covers 65 hectares on the edge of Mechelen. Since 2025 the hotel ruin has been opened up as a walking and resting point, and a multimove path and a forest-bathing path cross the grounds. The rose garden, dahlia garden, salicetum and mirror pond lie among lawns, play areas and sports fields.

The Award of Garden Excellence went not to the park as a whole but to its rose garden, which holds more than 100 rose species and received the distinction in 2003. The garden is one section among many in the 65-hectare provincial domain.